Kate + Adi met 5 years ago at a First Friday in Wicker Park, where their love of creativity brought them together. They’ve been hand in hand ever since, frequenting antique shops, bowling alleys, and their favorite brew stops. They will be getting married at the lusciously green venue, A New Leaf this summer, and to gear up for that, we headed out, mid-winter to get some warmth and greenery at the lovely Garfield Park Conservatory.

We then hit up one of Kate + Adi’s favorite Lincoln Square spots - Davis Theater, where they visited their own initials encrusted in the cement, marking the beginning of their relationship. We strolled through the quaint streets of Lincoln Square on our way to our last stop - a favorite German tavern, Huettenbar, to soak up the evening with a couple beers and some cozy hygge decor. Cheers!

Cory popped the question to Marlene by planning a role playing game with friends and family, as they often did. He had a ring crafted especially for Marlene, and called out play cards designed especially to lead up to the question - surprising her with a final card that depicted the very ring he had for her.

Cory + Marlene integrated their love of Cosplay into their fall wedding - a fusion of fun nerdery and dark elegance. Marlene was dressed in a white gown (complete with pockets) and embellished with dramatic black accessories - her ladies in mauve. Cory and his boys were accented with feathered boutonnieres, golden stags, and Cory wore a black skull ring.

They said their “I Do’s” on the rooftop at dusk, with their shiba dog, Hiro, as their ring bearer. The table settings were each themed with various anime and cosplay characters, with anime projected on the dance floor wall. The black textured cake with golden trim highlighted the room, while guests toasted and laughed together.

Cory was presented with a golden pinata, which he busted open to release lots and lots of glow sticks for all, beginning the danciest of all dance parties until late into the night!

Yusuke + Eri moved here from Japan for Yusuke’s job. They fell in love with the city of Chicago, and wanted to commemorate their time spent here with a beautiful wedding photos session at some of their favorite Chicago landmarks, before returning home to Japan for their wedding ceremony.